1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to devices for creating sand pictures between opposing plates of glass having upright orientation. More specifically, the present invention relates to devices for creating landscape scenes utilizing sand or other other particulate matter suspended in a liquid medium between opposing plates of glass in an upright frame.
2. Prior Art
The utilization of various colors of sand to create pictures and other forms of art work has long been practiced, starting with ancient indian civilizations. In modern times, sand paintings have been created within an enclosed area between upright plates wherein various colors of sand are dispersed at different levels to create landscape scenes and other forms of art work. In some instances these forms of sand painting have filled the entire void space between the opposing plates of glass, which are then sealed around the periphery to lock the sand or particulate matter in fixed position as a permanent rendition of art work.
More recently, devices have been developed which suspend the sand particles in a liquid medium between plates of glass, with the sand filling only a portion of the empty volume between the opposing plates. When in vertical orientation, the sand settles into the lower portion of the plate volume, leaving the liquid in the remaining upper portion. By inverting the plate, the sand particles diffuse through the liquid medium and create a new form of art work, as the sand particles reposition themselves by sedimentation in response to the force of gravity.
More recently, air bubbles have been added to the sand/liquid material. The effect of such air bubbles is to create a nonuniform resistance against movement of the sand from the top of the plate toward the lower plate volume after the plate has been inverted. Upon inversion, the air bubbles rise to encounter the partition line of sand and liquid and restrain movement of such sand particles by the counter force of buoyancy in opposition to the force of gravity. By using sands of different densities, the variety of swirl patterns within the sand is increased.
Although such prior art devices create colorful and interesting patterns of sand formations, the devices have not been able to reproduce the fine and detailed art work of sand paintings produced by methodical introduction of sand into the void space by an artisan in the absence of a liquid environment. For example, whereas dry sand art work produces fine lines of color delineation, the liquid environment of the prior art produces only general sand patterns which lack the distinctive features of dry sand work.
Such dry sand productions can develop a three dimensional effect which has not been replicated with the random sand movement through a fluid and air bubble combination. To the contrary, the scenes developed by current sand, water and gas devices remain of a two-dimensional effect, characterized by the absence of detailed features and variation which enhances the three-dimensional result.